Counterfeit cash circulating in Greenville area

Greenville Police Chief Justin Lovvorn says four counterfeit bills have been turned over to the department in the last week. Lovvorn said a local bank turned the fake cash over after businesses tried to deposit them, not realizing they were fake.

“In this situation, it was really easy to detect they weren’t real because they were marked,” Lovvorn said.

Each of the bills had wording on the front and back indicating that the money was only to be used for motion picture purposes.

“It’s worth the extra minute to look at the bill and check,” Lovvorn said. “It could keep your business from losing money.”

While the department believes these four bills came from the same place because they are similarly marked, the police chief said this issue is not new to the department.

“We’ve seen this before. In past cases, it has been much harder to tell.”

Lovvorn said the department has bills that were actually real at one point, including, for example, a five-dollar bill that was white-washed and printed over to resemble a $100 bill. He said taking a flashlight and looking at the imprints on the bill reveal what it was originally worth.

“The newer hundred dollar bills also have a glittery, shiny appearance to them,” Lovvorn said. “You can look at that. You can also use a special pen to see if the bill changes the ink.”

While some may be harder to detect than others, there are a number of ways to determine if cash is fake. The chief said he urges business operators and employees to take the time to seek them out.